son very much. Which may have been true but then again it could all be a story meant to suck her in. Her gut was telling her he was genuine but she had been wrong before. And that was why she was okay with taking this so slow.
"So he must be pretty well off then, yeah? If he owns his own store?" Angela beamed at her eager friend.
"Trust you to home in on the bank balance, Jill. I don't care if he is well off or poor, you know I don't care about that. He is just good to talk to. And that's really all I need. For now. He seems to like a lot of the things I do. We have the same interests and he's just so easy to talk to. It passes the time."
Jill made a snorting sound. "A girl needs more than talk, Angela."
Angela smiled at her friend. She knew what Jill meant. And she hadn't exactly sworn men off, but she didn't feel like she needed to throw herself headfirst into anything, either.
"You realize that this is your life you're talking about?" Angela leaned back in her chair and waved a meaningful hand in the air. "You need to become more involved with it. It's passing you by."
Angela thought about that on her way in to work. The rush-hour gridlock gave her plenty of time to think. She had to concede that Jill had a point. She was letting her life pass her by. And why? Because that rat Dorian had burned her so badly that she never let anyone else get close to her anymore. Across an internet chat line was close enough for her. She and Mister Compuking hadn't even sent photos to each other yet.
But maybe that should change. Maybe she should take a chance on someone. Someone like her online friend? Yeah, right. She didn't even know who he was other than a great guy to talk to. It would be complete idiocy to start something more meaningful with him. He could be an axe murderer or some old guy or worse. No, it was too stupid to even think about.
When she got to work her boss called her in to see him. "So, Angela how are things going?"
Now this was weird. Her boss never asked anyone how things were going. He just expected things to be going great.
"Um, good," Angela said hesitantly. "I've got that story under control..."
He put a hand up to stop her. "You don't need to worry about that. I've transferred that to Foster, he can take over from where you left off. I have another assignment for you."
Uh oh. This was not good. She had been working for the Ballina Chronicle for three years now and this was the first time the boss had taken her off a story. She didn't like the sound of this.
But if he caught on to her apprehension he didn't show it. "I need someone to go to the Sydney Computer Expo and do an in-depth exposé on any crooked dealings that go on at these things. I have it on good authority that there are a few underhanded things going on and I need you to sniff them out."
Angela's heart began to pound. This wasn't her area of expertise at all. "Um...sir? What happened to Johnson? Isn't it his job to work on these types of stories?"
"Well, yes, it is, but the idiot has broken his leg. Some sort of stupid skiing accident or something. He's going to be laid up for several weeks and I need this story yesterday. You understand?"
She didn't, but she nodded her head yes.
When she nodded he continued, "You will need to leave on Friday so you can be there for the weekend. I've got you plane tickets already. I know this is short notice but it can't be helped. You're one of the best I have Angela. I can trust you with this unlike a lot of your co-workers. Questions?" He didn't even wait for her to answer. "Good. Off you go then. Tie up any lose ends you've got here. I expect a fantastic story from you next week."
She left his office feeling like she had been caught in a whirlwind. Or a ringer. Running a hand through her short ash blonde hair she took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm herself down. This was so unexpected and she wasn't sure that she was up for the job. And as the day went on her anxiety
"So he must be pretty well off then, yeah? If he owns his own store?" Angela beamed at her eager friend.
"Trust you to home in on the bank balance, Jill. I don't care if he is well off or poor, you know I don't care about that. He is just good to talk to. And that's really all I need. For now. He seems to like a lot of the things I do. We have the same interests and he's just so easy to talk to. It passes the time."
Jill made a snorting sound. "A girl needs more than talk, Angela."
Angela smiled at her friend. She knew what Jill meant. And she hadn't exactly sworn men off, but she didn't feel like she needed to throw herself headfirst into anything, either.
"You realize that this is your life you're talking about?" Angela leaned back in her chair and waved a meaningful hand in the air. "You need to become more involved with it. It's passing you by."
Angela thought about that on her way in to work. The rush-hour gridlock gave her plenty of time to think. She had to concede that Jill had a point. She was letting her life pass her by. And why? Because that rat Dorian had burned her so badly that she never let anyone else get close to her anymore. Across an internet chat line was close enough for her. She and Mister Compuking hadn't even sent photos to each other yet.
But maybe that should change. Maybe she should take a chance on someone. Someone like her online friend? Yeah, right. She didn't even know who he was other than a great guy to talk to. It would be complete idiocy to start something more meaningful with him. He could be an axe murderer or some old guy or worse. No, it was too stupid to even think about.
When she got to work her boss called her in to see him. "So, Angela how are things going?"
Now this was weird. Her boss never asked anyone how things were going. He just expected things to be going great.
"Um, good," Angela said hesitantly. "I've got that story under control..."
He put a hand up to stop her. "You don't need to worry about that. I've transferred that to Foster, he can take over from where you left off. I have another assignment for you."
Uh oh. This was not good. She had been working for the Ballina Chronicle for three years now and this was the first time the boss had taken her off a story. She didn't like the sound of this.
But if he caught on to her apprehension he didn't show it. "I need someone to go to the Sydney Computer Expo and do an in-depth exposé on any crooked dealings that go on at these things. I have it on good authority that there are a few underhanded things going on and I need you to sniff them out."
Angela's heart began to pound. This wasn't her area of expertise at all. "Um...sir? What happened to Johnson? Isn't it his job to work on these types of stories?"
"Well, yes, it is, but the idiot has broken his leg. Some sort of stupid skiing accident or something. He's going to be laid up for several weeks and I need this story yesterday. You understand?"
She didn't, but she nodded her head yes.
When she nodded he continued, "You will need to leave on Friday so you can be there for the weekend. I've got you plane tickets already. I know this is short notice but it can't be helped. You're one of the best I have Angela. I can trust you with this unlike a lot of your co-workers. Questions?" He didn't even wait for her to answer. "Good. Off you go then. Tie up any lose ends you've got here. I expect a fantastic story from you next week."
She left his office feeling like she had been caught in a whirlwind. Or a ringer. Running a hand through her short ash blonde hair she took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm herself down. This was so unexpected and she wasn't sure that she was up for the job. And as the day went on her anxiety
Similar Books
